A Bouquet of Withering Roses
by Nozomi Kajuji
Summary: Kurama has been left in a gray world, and is forced to finally make a decision. Will he remain in a world where all of the roses closest and dearest to his heart have withered and died, or, will he return to his roots, and become the demon he had once 'shed' back during the first Demon World Tournament? One-Shot, no pairings. Kind of depressing. Please R&R! (May re-write later.)
1. Chapter 1

_All right, so, I got home from work exhausted, and I was randomly browsing through my old stories, since I read my own works when I'm bored, etc etc... And I found a document that held an idea. So, I decided to try my hand at it... I don't know why in my tired mind that I decided to do this NOW, so late at night, but hey! An idea's an idea! (I left myself a note to write it later.) Sooo... I decided to publish this one-shot, and am kinda...ehh...about how it turned out... I blame my tired mind... I couldn't even write more to one of my other works in progress... -shakes head- Anyways, let's get back on topic, shall we? No one wants to hear the tired ramblings of the author... And yes, I know the information isn't entirely correct, but I'll probably re-write it later...  
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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, any of its characters, or the rights.

A sudden gust manifested itself within a withered graveyard, raising small clouds of dust in the cool autumn air. The low hanging clouds were ominously dark, threatening the inhabitants of the world of the storm to come. The trees scattered randomly about the graveyard, as "decorations", were gnarled and black as night, showing how much true care was given to them. Most, if not all, of the tombstones that littered the field were withered and dark, signifying that quite some time has passed since they were last attended to, if at all.

A lone figure approached; a single bouquet of roses in his pale grip. Long crimson locks trailed behind him as he approached one tombstone in particular. Kneeling down, the bouquet resting in his lap, he placed a gentle hand on the grave, a small smile on his lips. His attire was mostly hidden by a large cream colored trench coat, but it was notable that he wore black slacks, and what appeared to be a silvery white shirt. Raising a seemingly delicate hand, he removed a rose from the bouquet, and placed it gently across the surface of the grave, his smile, although small, was filled with sorrow.

"Hello, old friend. I have brought you something..." He removed his hand from the still thorny rose, not receiving a single scratch from the prickly surface. "I know it has been a while since my last visit, and hope you do not mind..." He stood now, the bouquet gripped once more in his left hand, his somber emerald eyes focusing on the grave itself. He continued to speak, the same small sorrowful smile decorating his features. "I'm afraid…I have come to say good bye…" He fell silent, the sorrow finally reaching his large emerald eyes. He continued to silently focus on the grave, unable to bring him self to speak further. Turning his head away, his crimson bangs casting his eyes in shadow, he spoke softly. "I am sorry…my old friend…" Now turning his body to the direction where he was looking before, he whispered, "Good-bye…" as he walked away, his eyes still cast in shadow. The name on the grave read 'Kazuma Kuwabara; A spirited, kind hearted, and strong willed man. He will be missed greatly.'

As the crimson haired man continued his trek, he rose his gaze, stopping a few moments later, now standing before another grave. His gaze, still sorrowful, glanced at the bouquet he still carried and began taking out two roses this time. The wind blew ominously through the deserted graveyard, howling through the small spaces that were provided by the clustered tombs. Kneeling down once more, the man smiled once more, placing the two roses on the grave before him, and the one to its right. The first grave as elegant and ornate, with a medium sized arch at its peak, with flowers engraved in the tombstone, creating a beautiful border, with the name of the deceased in the center. The second was much more discreet, and slightly smaller in size compared to its neighbor. Instead of flowers decorating its borders, it had thin ivy vines trailing down, engraved into the tombstone, the name also being in the middle.

"Hello, Keiko… I hope you do not mind me paying you a small visit. It has been a while…" He paused, straightening the rose he had placed there. "I hope you are…doing well where you are. I am sure that you are being well looked after." His gaze then shifted to the grave next to it. "And best of all, you have company…so you won't have to be alone. You can wait together…" Straightening the second rose, he patted it softly a few times before standing, his gaze still focused on the second grave. "Look after your mother well. I'm counting on you."

Turning, he began to stride away once more, his eyes cast in shadow yet again. Now, he approached a much larger tomb, with two others on either side of it. These three were in a farther, much more private corner of the cemetery, and definitely more ornate. Taking out two more roses as he approached, the wind howling threateningly once more, its echoes reaching into the farthest corners of the cemetery, he knelt down before the main one in the middle, the sad smile deepening on his handsome features. Placing the two roses, one on each of the two adjoining tombs, he tilted his head back and looked at the etching of the name of the grave. 'Shiori Minamino, a kind and loving woman. She will be missed.'

"Hello, mother. I know it has been a while, and I…wanted to apologize for my absence. I've been…doing a lot of thinking lately, and have decided that…it is finally time to say good-bye." He paused, glancing at the two graves on either side. "I know you will miss me, but, you are not alone." He focused once more on the grave before him, the smile gone, having been replaced with a deep frown, his eyes heavy with sadness. "…I love you, mother. And I promise…I will never forget you." Placing the bouquet gently on the grave of his mother, the man stood, his eyes once more cast in shadow, his "gaze" on the grave before him. A soft breeze, bringing with it more moisture, brushed past him, causing his coat and long tresses to flow with it. Once the breeze had stopped, the first drops of the cold autumn rain began to pelt the ground. Unaffected for the first few moments, as the numbing rain slowly increased in ferocity, the man slowly turned and slowly, very slowly, began walking away. His footsteps were silent in the empty cemetery, his crimson locks now matted to his head due to the rain.

'_It has been many years since I saw them all last, laughing, joking… All things that we all used to do together… It is a shame that those days have come…and gone.'_ The man stopped his trek, now in the middle of the entire cemetery. He tilted his head back, his eyes closing against the cold sting of the rain. _'And yet, after all this time… I have remained the same. I look as I did whilst attending college, and university. My mother perished, as did my friends and colleagues… Yusuke is still alive, although presumed dead since the death of his family. Such is the life of a demon, I suppose… Hiei remains ever present… Enjoying his time with Mukuro and her subordinates... I suppose…I could return to demon world. There is nothing left here for me.'_ Returning his head to the normal position, he faced forward, his emerald eyes shinning dully. Whether it was from unshed tears, or some other unknown emotion was a mystery as the rain began to suddenly pour, the rumble of thunder echoing in the distance and growing closer. _'This world…is empty to me now… There is nothing truly keeping me here any longer…'_

Continuing to walk forward, the man remained deep in thought, his heart aching terribly within his chest. _'Just as the rose withers and dies…so does life as a whole…'_ He glanced once more up at the darkened sky, seeing the clouds billowing in the strong wind as the rain now came down at a slant. _'Since I shed my past, during that fight against Shigure during the demon world tournament… I have never truly thought much of what would occur when these days arrived… I suppose that is more of my human side, becoming ignorant to the impending doom that is the future… It is my fate, I suppose.'_ He sighed softly, his breath coming out as a little smoke due to the temperature dropping. _'My friends…have all withered and died, like a bouquet of roses. They were born, lived and blossomed fully, beautifully… And then, with time…they slowly withered, and shortly afterwards, perished…'_ He paused once more in his trek, having reached the gate entrance of the cemetery. Placing a hand on the cold metal, he gave vent to another soft sigh. _'Perhaps returning to demon world is the only choice I have? After all…I still live, while others wilt and die around me… Being with others who have prolonged lives may help me in some way…though how, I am unsure.'_ Looking up at the sky once more, as if searching for a sign, he spoke softly. "What am I to do…with nothing left for me?"

_And that is the story... Well, I left it open at the end because I wanted to ask you, the readers, a question. Is this "one-shot" worthy of a few more chapters? OR! Should I just write one more chapter and just...wrap it up? Cause as far as I can see, I can't really see this going much further...unless it should involve this random course of events that causes the Spirit Fox to regain his old glory through hard work, as he has to work for his old powers that he himself locked, and perhaps even joins a NEW group... OR! It could possibly lead to a life of massive depression, until Koenma sends the brand new Spirit detective and his new group of powerful friends to the depressed Kurama, hoping that being able to help the new group will assist him in feeling better? The ideas go on and on... (Btw, as this is hitting me, I'm writing it all down...so...yeah... This is how my mind works. ^^;; Scary, isn't it?) Anyways, PLEASE let me know! I really need your ideas on this, and support, and maybe even more ideas! __I'm tired, and I REALLY need to go to sleep now... I have to close tomorrow, so...yay for me...  
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_So, with all of that said, I bid everyone a good night, and look forward to reading your reviews. ^^ Rest easy~!_


	2. Re-Write

_I honestly did not think this would be that popular... Haha... I guess I still write intelligibly whilst falling asleep. It's good to know! So...here's the re-write of the "first chapter". I hope you like it!_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, the characters, or the rights.**

'_It has been many years since I saw them last…'_

Thin needles of ice and rain cascaded from the dark downcast sky, drenching the hard cracked ground. The scattered flora seemed to sigh softly at the relief of the water, and were soon consumed by the slowly rising water level. Thunder growled warningly overhead, echoing within the small crevices of the expansive area. As lightning streaked across the sky, small silhouettes could be seen. Upon further inspection, the silhouettes turned into tombstones, darkening the night further with its ominously somber presence.

A single man stood in the center of the graveyard, his head hung, his crimson locks plastered to his head, dripping with the cold water. The cold autumn breeze blasted by, shifting the clothing of the man, already soaked through by the thick rain.

Before him stood a grand tombstone, that was about two feet smaller than himself. It had elegant arches and intricate designs of flowers and roses engraved into the white marble headstone, with the name in cursive. It read, _'Shiori Minamino; A kind and loving woman. She will be missed.'_

The man managed a small rueful smirk, turning his head slightly to the side, where the grave to the right now came into sight. It was made of black granite, and not as grand as the one he stood before. Turning his head slightly to the left, the smirk remained, as his emerald gaze focused on a much smaller grave there as well. It was smaller than the other two, but still held high significance to the strange man. Turning his somber gaze back to the beautifully ornate tomb before him, he knelt, reaching a hand into his soaking hair. Withdrawing a single rose, he placed it delicately on the center of the mound before standing once more.

"Good-bye…mother." The man spoke, slowly turning his back to the tomb as he began to slowly walk away.

Behind him, the single rose blossomed fully, vines sprouting from the stem of the single rose and reaching over to the two adjoining graves. The vines themselves intertwined amongst themselves, creating an intricate design, with smaller rose buds blossoming shortly afterwards, coming to full bloom by the time the man had taken no more than 50 steps.

Approaching a group of other graves, the man stopped once more, focusing on each tomb individually, thoughts of the past resurfacing with each name he read. _Keiko Urameshi, Kazuma Kuwabara, Shizuru Kuwabara, Genkai, and a few others._ All names of those that once meant so much to this one man. All of which would always hold a special part in his heart…for they had become a part of him. Closing his eyes, his lips forming into a small frown, he hung his head, merely listening to the rain as it continued to thunder down around him.

"Good bye, my old friends… I regret to inform you that I still live…without you all by my side." Raising his head, he focused on the main tomb in the center, the largest of them all, yet one of the most simple. He smirked slightly as he studied the name. "Master Genkai, you of all people would scold me for being so over emotional. Your words would probably be along the lines of I should not worry of the ones that I have lost, and move on with my life." Chuckling softly, almost hearing her voice in his head saying those words, though more simple and blunt as was her style, he re-opened his eyes to focus on the shifting clouds above. His frown returned as he sighed softly. "I truly wish it were that easy. For you see, my old friends… I have nothing keeping me here any longer." He lowered his gaze and scanned the tombs before him. "As you can see, the only things that kept me here...have withered and died over the years."

For a moment, he fell silent, closing his eyes softly. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and, after withdrawing it, scattered the few seeds he had on each of the graves there. "To protect you, while you rest." He whispered, before walking away, the rain seemingly coming down harder around him. Behind him, the seeds had already taken root, and were already blooming into a small rose bush of different colors, casting a soft glow on the headstone behind them.

As the man slowly continued his sorrowful trek, he stopped, finally looking up after some time had passed. _'I always plan for the future. Whether it shall happen or not, I am always prepared.' _Glancing up at the dark sky, he sighed softly, his breath coming out as a small puff of steam. _'But I suppose I truly wasn't prepared….to say good-bye…'_ Closing his eyes, he continued onwards, reaching the gated entrance of the cemetery and silently opening the door. Closing it with a soft _click_ behind him, he turned and ventured towards the distant city lights, having walked the entire way over to the outskirts of the city for the peace and solitude. Not many things could hide in the cemetery, and any rogue demons who even attempted to do so would meet a crueler end than Elder Toguro.

As he wandered, the man's thoughts were wrapped in a single thought… _'What am I to do now that the time has finally come? Shall I leave for demon world, as I had planned? Although I had shed my demon past, it would not be a hard task to reclaim it. Or, should I remain here, in human world, watching as time withers all of those around me? I must choose one…'_

_-All right, so, here's the re-write. I hope everyone likes it, and I also wanted to let you guys in on an idea of mine. I left it open once more at the bottom, meaning it could go either way; Demon world, or Human World? Now, my idea is, if my readers agree, that I'm going to write a "chapter" for each. One describing his decision to return to demon world, and returning to his old life, etc etc... And, another depicting his choice to stay in the human world, serving as a guardian of sorts. What do you guys think? If one of the ideas takes off, and gets good enough attention, it might turn into its own story. Like a "Sequel" of sorts... Please review, and let me know your thoughts!_


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